


The 101 of the Battlefield of Dating

by bisexualowain



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-12 20:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12967785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualowain/pseuds/bisexualowain
Summary: Rhajat doesn't know how to date, which is troubling when a cute girl decides to ask her out.





	The 101 of the Battlefield of Dating

**Author's Note:**

> A request from tumblr!

Night’s dim veil had only recently covered the small town near the Nohrian border when the raiders attacked.

As luck would have it, Corrin’s army just happened to be passing through the area, as they marched towards their ultimate destination – the bottomless canyon. 

What, exactly, was so important that was making them head towards such a treacherous area was unknown to Rhajat, who was one of the magic users assigned to help defend the town, though she certainly appreciated the local dreariness. It matched her spirits quite well.

“Ugh, don’t you ever give up?” She asked under her breath, before firing off a spell against a man wielding an axe, just as he was about to bring the heavy weapon down on her. 

Her spell sent the man tumbling backwards, before hitting a tree and knocking himself out cold. Much as she hated being in the thick of battle, along with all of the sweating, she had to admit that low-lives who’d pillage and steal from the needy made for quite the convenient targets for her to practice her curses.

With a flick of her wrist, Rhajat hexed the musclebound man to have an intensely itchy back for the rest of the season, just to be on the safe side. Maybe this way, he’d reconsider his life choices, or so she hoped. Not that she’d ever tell anyone about it, though. This was her little secret.

“Look out, magic girl!” 

The tonal dissonance of the preppy voice that had just called out to her, which seemed not to belong on a battlefield, was the first thing that popped into Rhajat’s mind, followed by the realization that she should follow its advice.

While she wasn’t looking, an assailant armed with a lance had snuck up behind her, and though the voice had given her enough time to react to the threat and escape with her life, she now sported a nasty gash across her side, having just nearly avoided the swing of the pole arm.

Borrowing the power of Vengeance, a spell whose function was to weaponize the pain of its user’s wounds to make their magic stronger, Rhajat blew back her would-be murderer. 

With no time to celebrate the victory, the diviner clutched her bleeding wound, hoping to put pressure on it. It was at times like these when she bemoaned her own choice to forego healing magic in her studies. Picking a remote corner of the battlefield by herself may also not have been her brightest idea.

Just as she felt her consciousness begin to wane, she found herself grabbed by someone else. Though her first instinct was to fight off the physical contact, she quickly realized it was an ally, and she was in no position turn down help.

“Hang on, okay? I’m getting you to a healer. You’ll be spiffy in no time!”

As soon as her helper spoke, Rhajat recognized her voice. It was the same one that had warned her about the lancer in the first place. 

Rhajat was reasonably certain she’d seen the girl among their army’s ranks before, though she didn’t know her personally. She had pink hair, which she kept long, and seemed to be a mercenary who favored the blade. Rhajat made mental note to thank her later, before she passed out.

xxx

“Time to rise and shine!”

Rhajat’s eyes fluttered open, and after a brief moment, in which her eyes adjusted to the room she found herself in, she recognized the girl who stood at her bedside.

“Uh… I suppose I owe you my thanks,” she droned out, still feeling too weak to really sit up, but refusing to appear fragile. “Who are you, anyways?”

The pink-haired girl smiled slightly, apparently not bothered by Rhajat’s less than sunny disposition. “I’m Soleil, savior of cute girls everywhere. I’m… sorry about not getting to you sooner, though. We were lucky to have staves and a healer at the ready.”

Touching her stomach, Rhajat found no trace of blood seeping out, though a considerable scar had appeared where she was slashed. “Terrific… whatever the case may be, it isn’t your fault, though.”

“Maybe not, but hey, I have a reputation to keep!” Soleil affirmed. “How are you feeling?”

“Lousy,” Rhajat replied, rubbing her temples. “I hope I get to see the nitwit who did this, just so I can get ‘creative’ in my revenge.”

“Well, from the looks of it, I’d say he’ll think twice before raiding villages ever again,” Soleil nodded. “Oh, pardon my manners… I might’ve introduced myself, but I never did ask for your name!”

Rhajat squinted. “I’m Rhajat, but… you’re telling me you went through all of this trouble for someone whose name you didn’t even know? I’m not sure if you’re kind... or just a little too trusting...”

Soleil shook her head. “I’ve already told you, I save cute girls, it’s just what I do! Besides, now we DO know each other’s names, see?”

“Hmm…” Rhajat mulled over their situation. “So, if an ugly woman was in trouble… you wouldn’t lift a finger?”

Soleil snorted. “Impossible! Every woman has her charms! You especially, if I must be this blunt.” 

Rhajat wished she was strong enough to use magic, so as to mask her flushed cheeks. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” she lied.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with you, right now, so that works out alright!” Soleil winked. “Unless you’d like to have some tea together.”

This girl was very good at this, Rhajat had to admit. “...Strange as it is to say it, I think that could be… enjoyable. But you must know… if this is some sort of prank, I will not hesitate to curse you well into old age.”  
To that, Soleil merely laughed. “I would never do something that mean! Specially not to a drop dead cutie like you. We can go when you’re feeling better, just say the word and I’ll be there, Rhajat.”

xxx

“Forrest… Forrest, open up,” Rhajat called as she knocked on the door, knowing that the boy was still up despite the late hour, likely sewing one of his many new projects for new clothing articles. 

Rhajat thought it might be a lost cause, due to the lack of a response, but sure enough, after a few seconds, she could hear the faint sound of footsteps coming from within, shortly before the door was unlocked.

There stood a boy with long golden curls, dressed in comfortable-looking pink pajamas with intricate golden embroidery. His face was noticeably thick with creams for his skin, but Rhajat was well-used to seeing him this way, so she thought nothing of it.

“This better be good, do you realize how late it is?” Forrest asked, motioning for her to enter his room. “It’s been a while, and now you show up in the middle of the night just like that...”

“My bad… I was only almost sliced in half by a brigand and then asked out on a date by a girl, I should have known none of that would pique your interest...” Rhajat shook her head, making a token attempt to leave the room right after she had entered it, before Forrest tugged at her arm.

“Heeeey, I opened the door for you, didn’t I? You simply can’t drop such a story on me and then leave!” he said, pouting as an attempt to appeal to her good side.

“I suppose I can tell you... if I really must,” she smirked, sitting down beside him on the fluffy bed to tell him of the events that had transpired in the last few days.

“Oh, with Soleil?” he asked. “Well, it figures she would ask you out eventually, it’s hardly a surprise!”

“Wait… you’re saying you know her?” Rhajat raised an eyebrow. 

“I do know her, she’s Laslow’s daughter after all, and he’s Uncle Xander’s retainer, plus, she also fashions herself as Siegbert’s retainer, so we meet quite frequently!” Forrest explained.

Rhajat furrowed her brow. “If this is some sort of scheme between the two of you, Forrest… I don’t think you’d appreciate having bad hair days for the rest of your life... just saying.”

“Heavens, no!” Forrest protested. “It may be true that I’ve tried to find you a nice girlfriend before, but I don’t think Soleil would do something like that… she’s just very passionate about how much she loves girls, honestly!”

“Well… this does simplify and complicate things,” Rhajat said, scratching at her chin. “She did save my life, and if it were some sort of prank, there would be easier ways to go about it. Then again, I’ve been known to be quite circuitous about how I do things, myself...”

“Is it really that hard to believe someone might just be interested in you?” Forrest asked, and his question froze the usually unflappable magician in place.  
The words that wanted to escape her mouth were all affirmations, but Rhajat had to push them aside and consider the possibility that she was wrong. Soleil seemed like a nice person, even if that type of person could be hard for her to read, at times.

“Maybe she is genuine, after all...” Rhajat mused. “I uh, I don’t know how to ask this of you, but… I need tips.”

With a smile, Forrest nodded. “First and foremost, you should just be yourself – don’t change who you are for someone else – I know it might be tempting, but if she asked you out, she must like you as you are, right?”

"Sounds potentially dubious... but if you say so...."she sighed. To say she knew nothing of dating would be an understatement.

“Now, with the makeup and clothing departments… we’ll need to do a lot of work,” he japed, to which she simply replied with a piercing glare.

xxx

It was time for their date, or, well, a little past the agreed time. Rhajat had procrastinated enough in making her way into the small town, towards the tea place Soleil had suggested, but she had come too far now to back down. Rhajat was nothing if not persistent, once she put her mind to something.

“Oh hey, you came!” Soleil greeted, getting up from her seat and pulling a chair for Rhajat to sit, in front of her. “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t show up!”

From the tone of her voice, Rhajat deduced that the worry wasn’t all that severe. She could unclench her fists about that concern, at least. “I’m just… not really used to dressing up. Took a while.”

Truth be told, she had never dressed up, least of all in the fine cloth Forrest had picked out and fashioned into a dress for her. 

She did like the red lace designs on the front, along with the matching choker, aesthetically, but in practice, she found it a bit too stiff and restrictive to wear. At least the black looked good with her skin tone, or so Forrest had told her. Perhaps this is why she always liked the color.

“It… really doesn’t show. You look gorgeous!” Soleil complimented her, before adding. “I mean, even more than usual!”

“You look very dashing, yourself,” Rhajat replied. If the fact that she wasn’t used to dressing up was imperceptible, the fact that she wasn’t used to giving compliments stuck out like a sore thumb. “So… tea, huh? I hope they don’t use any poisonous plants by mistake...”

“That would be a problem!” Soleil laughed. “I’ve had their tea before, though. Seemed safe to me! Not too sure about the mead, though...”

“Heavy drinker?” Rhajat asked, before immediately regretting it.

“Oh, me? Nah...” Soleil lounged on her chair, seeming completely comfortable with the scenario. “One of the mercenaries in my band is, though, and this one time… You know, I don’t think I should be telling this story before we have our tea...”

“You’d be surprised at how much I can stomach. Try me,” Rhajat interjected.

“Hehe, if you insist… we were commemorating a successful defense when this guy got a little too cocky with how well he could hold his drinks… but that’s not the worst part.”

“Oh?” Rhajat asked, making sure to seem interested, even though she actually was. 

“We’re still not sure whether it was really the mead or something he ate beforehand but… let’s just say that stopping your rounds about every five seconds to go behind the bushes isn’t the best situation for one whose job is protecting the town, you know?”

To that, Rhajat cackled, remembering a little too late to lower her tone of voice. It could get a little out of hand when she laughed. It had often been described as creepy, in fact.

Fortunately for her, Soleil seemed unfazed. “As I’ve said, I really like the tea, but I’m certainly not taking any chances!”

“No arguments there… though I do know of a great hex to fix those types of problems…” Rhajat commented, deep in thought as she remembered her grimoires. “The ingredients might be a little hard to come by, though.”

“Oh yeah? Be sure to let me know if you need anything… I’m happy to go the extra mile to fetch things for pretty girls,” Soleil said, before ordering her and Rhajat’s drinks.

“Heh… so you say, but I don’t know of anyone who’d really enjoy collecting faceless sweat, wolfskin saliva and mandragoras… the last ones can even kill you,” Rhajat noted. “Would anyone do these types of things for someone else?”

“Hey, sometimes sacrifices are necessary… I even know of a guy who pulled off time travel to be popular with girls. I look up to him a lot,” Soleil said, with a sly smile.

“Time travel?” Rhajat asked, taken aback. “That’s another story you have to tell me...”

“I think it’s for another time… what do you say I tell you over a second date?” Soleil proposed, lifting the newly-brought cup of tea to her lips.

They were hardly done with the first one, and Soleil was already into the idea of a second one? Rhajat took a certain solace in the knowledge that she wasn’t putting Soleil off with any of her comments.

“It’s… definitely intriguing enough to warrant investigation...” the magician said. “If you want to get together again, I wouldn’t object.”

Though Soleil’s plentiful smiles were already quite charming, the one she gave Rhajat now seemed to shine like the very sun itself. Rhajat was usually put off by bright things, but the other girl’s warmth was simply too comforting…  
“Then it’s settled!”Soleil pumped her fist up in celebration. “You’ll have to tell me a little about yourself too, I can’t be the only one talking.”

Rhajat chuckled. “Oh, I’m an open book… it just so happens that said book is a grimoire, and it’s filled with dark spells and curses...”

“Exciting, unusual and worth the effort,” Soleil said, bringing the comparison together.

With that, Rhajat realized she’d found someone who’d listen to her and still choose to stay. Maybe even the most guarded of hearts could eventually find a key to open themselves.


End file.
